Broadway ‘Bomb’ Blows Up Skaters’ Cred in Court

When the New York Supreme Court granted a temporary restraining order for the state in order to prevent thousands of skateboarders zooming through traffic this weekend, Broadway Bombs founder Ian Nichols said okay. He told us that most skateboarders “aren’t criminals,” and that he didn’t want to get in trouble or break the law. The image of the anti-establishment (or girl) skater was just an antiquated stereotype left over the sport’s early punk origins. Most skaters who participated in his race, he told us, were over 30, had jobs, and found skating to be meditative.

Mr. Nichols said that he was no longer involved with Broadway Bomb, and that the event was canceled.

Apparently, some people didn’t get the memo about any of this.

This Saturday, in a defiance of the Judge Geoffrey D. Wright’s ruling, approximately 30 individuals showed up to participate in the 10-year-anniversary of Broadway Bomb, which has long boarders skating through traffic all the way from 116th Street to Bowling Green. Despite a police presence at the start of the race (which sent several participants wheeling away), others continued with their plans and even made it to the finish line. There were no arrests.

However, that still leaves Broadway Bombs co-founder in a tough spot. He was named as the plaintiff in the restraining order, which means he could still be punished by the state for violating the restraining order, despite the fact that he had eschewed all involvement with the Broadway Bomb. Making the situation even more sticky is the group’s Facebook page, where the organizers had announced:

Attention all Skaters! Ian has received a summons from the City of New York. In order to avoid being prosecuted, Ian Nichols must officially cancel Broadway Bomb and relinquish all responsibility. However, We are going to flash mob 116th Street and Broadway at 11:50AM and Start the Race at 12:00PM exactly. Get the exact time from your cellphone. Please don’t show up until 11:50AM because there may be a police presence. Please share this post with everyone in order to keep us all safe. See you there.

It is unclear whether Mr. Nichols–whose own Facebook page lists him as “Broadway Bomb“–wrote that message himself, which would seemingly contradict both his original statement about the race being canceled, and common sense regarding the legality of encouraging the race to continue despite court orders.